By Barbara Sams, Managing Partner

When my friends began to have children, I discovered the book We’re Going on A Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen. It quickly became a favorite. With apologies to Mr. Rosen, and an acknowledgment that my mind and nerves are a bit frayed as we get closer and closer to November 1, I offer an observation. 

We’re going on a test policy hunt.
We’re going to find a clear one.
What a beautiful day!
We’re not scared…

Until we open a college website.

The first thing we see is a smiling student on a green lawn and a bold “Test Optional!” headline. Great! we think. But wait—optional… how optional? 

We scroll deeper. No luck.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to click through it.

Next stop: the section on superscoring. Now the real adventure begins.

Some colleges say they superscore the ACT. But what exactly do they mean? Do they just take your highest section scores, or do they recalculate a new composite from those highs? And if they do, does that recalculation include the Science section, or does it sit awkwardly in the corner like the forgotten cousin at Thanksgiving dinner?

And what about the Enhanced ACT versus the Classic ACT? If a student took both, can those be mixed in the superscore stew? 

We can’t go around it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to email admissions about it.

Then comes the question of score reporting. Do we have to send official scores directly from the testing agency? Or can we self-report on the application, the applicant portal, or—if the school uses it—the STARS report? It’s like a game of musical chairs, but the music is fine print and the chairs are $20 each.

Yes, $20 per test date—that’s the cost of sending ACT scores. So when colleges say they superscore but don’t accept ACT’s official superscore report, you can’t help but wonder:
Do they not trust ACT’s math?
Do they not know about the $20 fee per test date?
Do they not realize the super score report also includes the all the scores from each original test date as well as the super scores?

Meanwhile, in the land of clarity, the College Board gets a kudos from me. Sending SAT scores is simple and much cheaper. They make it easy to understand how to send the scores and what each school requires. They’re the friendly guide at the end of the testing forest, waving a map and saying, “You made it!”

Back on the test policy trail,  most families slog through the website mud. One FAQ leads to another. The deeper you go, the less you know.

We’re going on a test policy hunt.
We’re still trying to find a clear one.
What a confusing day!
We’re not scared—
But we are a little exhausted.

If only colleges realized that transparency isn’t just helpful—it’s humane. Because behind every test policy is a student (and often a parent) just trying to do the right thing.

Colleges, take note: clarity is free. Confusion costs $20 per test date.